About the Owner

Crown Point entrepreneur David Cox, 19, who owns A-1 Window Cleaning, installs holiday lights and decorations when business gets slow. Cost of the services is usually $2 per square foot and the average charge is around $100. Lighting up the holiday As window washing business fades, local company finds new work. BY ANDREA HOLECEK Times Business Writer This story ran on nwitimes.com on Thursday, December 4, 2003 12:28 AM CST If the combination of height and electricity zaps your Christmas spirit, David Cox could be the man for you. His business, A-1 Window Cleaning, will install the decorative Christmas lights beginning to twinkle on homes throughout Northwest Indiana. The holiday service installs the lights and holiday decorations, takes them down again in January and packs them away for Christmas 2004. "People think it's great," said Cox, whose business is licensed and bonded. "We do it so the customers won't have to. They'd rather spend time with family or doing something else, especially as the weather gets colder." The young entrepreneur was 16 three years ago when he started his own business. Without funds or funding, Cox needed to find a business with low start-up costs and overhead. "Window cleaning seemed a perfect fit,'' he said. All went well for the high school junior until winter approached and the work began to dwindle. "I was putting up the Christmas lights on my house and I thought about it and decided it would be a good way to make some cash," said Cox, who business is based in Hobart. After he distributed 1,000 flyers door-to-door throughout Crown Point, Cox got his first job, then his second and so on until he had 10 customers his first year. The business has grown dramatically since then, including many repeat customers. He currently has three part-time employees who have been putting up lights since mid-November and booking are coming quickly. "This is biggest time right after Thanksgiving as the weather changes and people get more excited about the holiday," Cox said. "Most of my business comes from referrals. When we're putting up lights, many times neighbors walk over and ask for an estimate. We do quality work and put a lot of detail into it. That's why we get a lot of referrals." Generally the cost of the service is $2 per foot for installation and removal, but that can change depending on whether Cox supplies the lights, the amount of lights and other decorations to be installed, the number of windows and the height of the residence. "We supply everything," he said. "We sell GE Proline commercial grade lights or we use the homeowners. We have the ladders and provide plugs and extension cords. The GE lights are a little more expensive, but the quality is better. They'er brighter and they last twice as long. If one bulb goes out, the rest stay lighted." The average charge is about $100, said Cox, who is a freshman at Indiana University Northwest studying business management. "Our work is done to the homeowner's specifications," he said. " Whatever they want to do, we'll do it. We offer free estimates and satisfaction is guaranteed. I love putting up the lights and so do my employees. We like to make people happy." Andrea Holecek can be reached at holecek@nwitimes.com or (219) 933-3316. A-1 Window Cleaning (219) 942 -3736 or (219) 313-3248

The region is rich with young entrepreneurs who are at the top, or who are well on their way. Here, we tell the stoies of rising stars of local business, who either are starting, or are prime players in, family operations, or who are climbing to the top of an otherwise-established firm. Get to know them now, because there is a good chance that you will be hearing more about them later. Future Stars Already Shining David M. Cox IV does windows - and that is just fine for the young businessman 2005 In Business - The Young and Successful A hundred dollar's worth of sponges, squeegees, solutions and advertising fliers has parlayed into a rapidly expanding window-washing business for David M. Cox IV, 20. At age 16, Hobart resident Cox, who, like any teenager, needed weekend spending money, decided to go into business for himself. "I needed something with low start-up costs and low overhead, and window washing seemed like a perfect fit," he says, describing the start of this business, A-1 Window Cleaning, in 1999. Combining trial and error with Internet research was Cox's strategy to find the best methods, equipment, and cleaning solutions. "I started experimenting with vinegar, moved on to grocery store cleaning solutions, then tried commercial grade cleaners, before finally finding the right combination," says Cox, who calls the formula his "trade secret". The company owner provides estimates and a description of the services offered, including the removal and hand washing of screens, scraping of bug, sap, and paint splatters from the windows, and a final washing that "literally makes your windows sparkle." Customers' windows also are cleaned inside, including the tracks and windowsills. "We pride ourselves on perfection. All of our work is 100 percent guaranteed," Cox says. Business has doubled yearly, growing from Cox as the sole worker, to his adding three employees. The company, which is bonded and insured, concentrates on residential accounts in Lake and Porter counties. The onset of winter diminished Cox's income initially, but creative thinking led to the establishment of Holiday Lighting, a Christmas light and decoration service. Cox will string the customer's outdoor lights from the rooftop to bushes to yard decorations, maintain the lights during the season, and then remove and pack away the items in containers for the next season. He also provides commercial grade lights for those desiring a brighter atmosphere. Customers' requests range from simple holiday lighting to, what Cox describes as, the "Griswold Special," where the decorations are elaborate and numerous. The lighting business has grown from 10 houses and businesses the first year to 60 this past season. "Referrals are the life of our business," says Cox, who emphasizes quality work and attention to detail are important components for both businesses. "It's been a great building block for me. I've learned a lot about business and it's given me a lot of experience," says Cox, who plans to keep building his business and is considering developing a franchise package. A-1 Window Cleaning (219) 942 -3736 or (219) 313-3248